Front End Friday

Happy FEF!

Some fireball action today !

From the archives, 3 New Haven I-5's wait assignment in the New Haven Yard.

@ogaugenut posted:

Marx ride on train.  Note holes on side forward (both sides).  What are they for?  Am I missing some part?  Most of the pictures I have seen show it as plain in this area.

Bill

Holes for foot rests, if it’s a ride on toy?

SR E6 is a custom painted Lionel Burlington E5

Happy FeF from the El. Here is the front end of an R12 circa 1980. Not a bad run for a train originally built in the late 40s -

*Bonus front end shot - note the front end of a VO1000 in the lower right hand corner of the first pic.

Well today's passengers are lucky, they are riding in comfortable coaches and vista domes enjoying the view, while the weather outside is cool, cloudy, and raining (at least in central Texas).

In the first photo, the Lionel #2328 Burlington GP7 from 1955-1956 pulls a short streamlined passenger train out of the yard to take the main.

A 1/2 world away (in my imagination) a double headed Southern Railway 0-4-0 tank engine leads short train of LMS coaches away from the depot and towards its destination in the UK. These 2 Hornby former clockwork engines have been refitted with Marx 4 wheel drive systems to convert them to electric power.  They work remarkably well and the little 4 wheel Marx motor is reliable, easy to find, and inexpensive.  By mostly total chance, it also happens to fit nearly perfectly in the Hornby tank engine shell.

Best wishes F.E.F. fans.

Don

Have a good weekend FeF

Happy FEF and Happy Holidays everyone!  Have a great weekend.  Here’s a Lionel 736 Berk at the head end of a passenger train full of holiday travelers.

Wow, I just realized I missed about a month of FeF!! Great stuff everyone, and Happy Friday!

Xmas is just around the corner, so out with the Polar Express! Happy Holidays!

Looks like the giant Christmas tree popped up again overnight in Paradise! Happens every year around this time! And the SP 1760 Mogul is waiting for the PE to move on down the track to move some freight off the siding to the mainline for pickup. Jeb waving to you all from 1760, Happy Friday!

Here's my end of the front kind for this fine Friday!

I know its early in the day, but what wonderful photos everyone! I wish I had a recreant one but I will have to pull this one from the past.

Railking

Dirty Lionel USRA 2-6-6-2.

Well, so I’m late, we just had several Tornadoes come our way, and Praise the Lord, we were spared. We live 1/2 mile away from the Burger King that is no more, and many other structures were demolished, and 6 deaths, so, keep our area in your prayers…. Here’s my offering for today, @Mike g. Mike , I love BNSF to, so one day I will have a BNSF lash up…. Beautiful fronts everyone, and @Don McErlean, your old is a goodie…Happy Railroading Everyone (By the way, Mike, I saw where Farmerjohn invited you to see our layouts, we will be in driving distance….Sorry your moving, but you will love this part of the country)  Happy Railroading Everyone

@leapinlarry posted:

Well, so I’m late, we just had several Tornadoes come our way, and Praise the Lord, we were spared. We live 1/2 mile away from the Burger King that is no more, and many other structures were demolished, and 6 deaths, so, keep our area in your prayers…. Here’s my offering for today, @Mike g. Mike , I love BNSF to, so one day I will have a BNSF lash up…. Beautiful fronts everyone, and @Don McErlean, your old is a goodie…Happy Railroading Everyone (By the way, Mike, I saw where Farmerjohn invited you to see our layouts, we will be in driving distance….Sorry your moving, but you will love this part of the country)  Happy Railroading Everyone

Great photos Larry I really cant wait to see it in person! You and everyone in your area are in our prayers!

@leapinlarry - Larry that new BNSF loco is a beauty.  I also really liked "Granpa's Workshop" and that will go on my list to acquire.  Thank goodness you and yours are safe from the ravages of those tornado's, your area will be in our prayers for certain.  Best wishes, your friend

Don

Hello Front End Friday Fans...I know its just Thursday night, but I travel tomorrow so I thought I would post early so as not to miss a F.E.F.  In the Hornby line of trains, the "bottom end" or in Lionel speak the "O-27" line was labeled "M0" and it was in effect "0-18" or 18" diameter (9" radius).  These trains were 0 gauge but of a smaller scale than the regular line of either British Hornby or French Hornby.  In both countries they came with their own entire line of accessories and rolling stock including both freight and passenger wagons as well as stations, tunnels, road and passenger crossings and all manor of track like switches and cross overs.  In the British line, the M0 was initiated in 1930 and in the French Hornby line in 1933 so you can see they are "children of the depression".  Below are examples of both.

In the British Hornby line, the M0 line, began in 1930 and the engine below is of that vintage.  It came without cylinders or drive rods and was available in either red or green livery.  Red with tender number 6100 and Green with tender number 4472.  All these engines are clockwork.  In 1935 , this engine was fitted with both cylinders and drive rods.  These continued more or less unchanged after the war until 1954 when the M0 was replaced by the Type 20 locomotive and wagons.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the channel, French Hornby was producing what they called, "The Train Express", initiated in 1933, always in green livery with tenders that were numbered 3615.  Smoke deflectors were added in early post war versions but cylinders and drive rods did not come until 1949.  At some point the track was also changed from a 9" radius to a 1 ft radius or 2ft diameter much closer to Lionel's 0-27 and it was made much heavier for durability and resistance to bending.

Pictured below is one of the French Hornby sets which included a full circle of curved track and two straights.  A very similar set but with two passenger coaches was also available.

Despite their very "toy like" appearance, these M series trains were very popular.  They undercut the price point of the regular series Hornby lines (both British and French) by a considerable margin, were simple to operate, colorful, and had lots of play value.  They had a full line of freight wagons and accessories so provided a lot of value for the price.

Best Wishes and Happy F.E.F. to all and a very Merry Christmas

Don

Here's my end of the front kind for tomorrow's fine Friday!   May your days of Holly be HAPPY!!

New York Central #9110 is an MTH Railking model (30-21010-1 with PS3) of a Fairbanks Morse H10-44 diesel switcher.

Photos and video show the front end of the model as it tracks toward the camera on the back straight of my 10’-by-5’ layout.

MELGAR

Happy FEF!

I have a couple of oldies that I ran on the clubhouse layout.
First is a set of Unique Art Rock Island AA units.

Next is a set of Lionel 2333 Santa Fe F3s

Happy Front End Friday everyone! I'm running some big steam on the layout this week. Starting with my beloved Legacy Lionmaster T1 Duplex.

Also the BIGGEST locomotive in my collection, the titanic Q2 4-4-6-4.

Here's the video of the titans thundering on my layout.

And here's a little Mack diesel with a billboard reminding us all to be home for the holidays. Merry Christmas to all!

Finally, it’s Friday.  Friday’s are for some Berkshire run time.

Last FeF before the man comes by the homestead, hope all have a great Christmas and support your troops overseas God Speed All

Happy FEF!

First day of my holiday break. Don't go back to work till Jan. 3rd!

Finally out of the shops is my MTH Penn Central RS27. This is an early QSI/PS model that you may recall had been bitten by the zinc pest.

Bob

Railking E8s

Happy FeF!  Can’t believe it’s here already.  Here is the front end of an R17 pulling into Wall Street station -

Happy FEF everyone!

Here are a few front ends.

Happy Holidays!

Good morning, FEFers.

Here is the front end of the train under our Christmas tree.  This is my wife's favorite engine.

This K-Line PRR A5 has ran for many years on my layout, but was replaced by the smaller and closer to scale MTH A5.  The K-Line is now our Christmas engine.

Chrome Lionel 265E with chrome 2613/14/15 cars.

Mr.& Mrs. Claus ride the front deck of an SW9 switcher.  

Front End Friday Switching Power on the Polar Express at the Paradise, CA passenger station.

In route to the North Pole via Paradise, CA, the Polar Express Berkshire 1225 experiences some driver issues and will need some serious, and time consuming, maintenance. The Polar Express needs some fresh and reliable power on the front end, so U.P. offers up Big Boy #4006 to the rescue. U.P. tossed some fancy Polar Express banners on the sides of #4006 tender, and it's ready to pull!

Happy Front End Friday and Happy Holidays to all!

Apologies for the kitchen background noise, the wife is whipping up a special cake for dessert tonight! I'm all in!

@trumpettrain posted:

Mr.& Mrs. Claus ride the front deck of an SW9 switcher.  

Hi Patrick, nicely decked out SW9 with Mr. and Mrs. Santa! Great pick! Happy Holidays!!!

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Hi Patrick, nicely decked out SW9 with Mr. and Mrs. Santa! Great pick! Happy Holidays!!!

Thanks so much Scott!  I love your video of the Polar Express engine change.  I really like the Mallet PE!! Wishing you the warmest of wishes for the holiday!!

For the last Front End Friday of 2023, I'm running some Hiawatha Road. For starters, I have my MTH Lionel Corp 250e on the outer mainline. This engine required some extensive modification to make it track worthy (which I did a whole writeup on a year ago), but has been a very reliable runner ever since.

I also have my big articulated Bipolar on the inner mainline. This was a York acquisition about 6 years ago, and although some of my friends have dubbed it my "ugliest engine", I always have fun running it.

Here's the video. Happy Front End Friday AND Happy New Year to all!

@Trainguy Ken posted:

For the last Front End Friday of 2023, I'm running some Hiawatha Road. For starters, I have my MTH Lionel Corp 250e on the outer mainline. This engine required some extensive modification to make it track worthy (which I did a whole writeup on a year ago), but has been a very reliable runner ever since.

I also have my big articulated Bipolar on the inner mainline. This was a York acquisition about 6 years ago, and although some of my friends have dubbed it my "ugliest engine", I always have fun running it.

Here's the video. Happy Front End Friday AND Happy New Year to all!

Nice Ken, I love the Bi-Polar. I have one as well.

Happy FEF

My entry doesn’t need rails.
Here is my PRR Tug pushing hard to keep a scrap barge against the sea wall.

Happy FEF!

Making good progress on my Morris Park Switcher. I've decided that this is the front. I've ordered all of the detail parts from Precision Scale Co., and I'm currently making an interior to cover the board and motor.

Bob

New Haven Railroad Alco S-2 diesel switcher #0617 is an MTH Premier model (20-20588-1, MSRP $449.95) delivered in 2016 with PS3. Photos and videos show it from the front end and running on my 10’-by-5’ model railroad.

MELGAR

Front end of an MTA work train pulling into a subway station -

My front end entry today is a picture of two engines running yesterday on my layout. Both are Weaver products. The engine on the upper track is #659, a Berkshire that was totally reworked by Harmon Shops and the one on

the lower bridge is #1389, a Pacific that Pat Norcross also did some upgrading on.